Author Harvest ‘bales up’ Sara Foster

I’m pretty excited to have ‘baled up’ Sara Foster for Author Harvest. It’s a bit of a fan moment *blush* having this author of three novels: Come Back to Me (Finished it last week. Intriguing!); Beneath The Shadows; and her latest released Shallow Breath.

Enough of that though. Let’s get to the important stuff. Tell everyone what you’ve whipped up for me today, Sara.

I love scones but haven’t tried making them. Would you like some chocolate cake or lemon drizzle cake instead?

(Yes, a little bit of both would be lovely. Thanks for offering! Umm, a little bit more… Yes, cream AND ice cream would be lovely. No, no, I’m fine, keep going… I’ll tell you when to stop.)

At home…

My mum says garden gnomes make a house a home! Are you loud and proud in your love of garden gnomes at home, a closet gnomer or with a strict ‘no gnomes’ policy at your place?

We haven’t been blessed with any gnome dwellers at our place as yet, but if we struck lucky and one decided to set up camp here, I should imagine we’d be pretty loud and proud about it. (We do have a lot of smurfs, so I don’t think gnomes are too far away.)

(Sara, you may be aware of the recent court case in which Smurfs claimed they were, in fact, gnomes. Apparently they argued their case until they were blue in the face… hehehehehe!)

What vegetable (or fruit) have you always wanted to grow at home?

I always have ambitious plans for veggie patches – we have had some success with rampant zucchini, self-seeding tomatoes (which escaped the compost bin) and a zealous lemon tree – but I’d love to be able to grow more – potatoes, watermelon, onions, carrots, tomatoes, I’ll eat them all!

If I came to your home and looked in the refrigerator, what would I find?

If it’s a Monday you’ll find lots of fresh veggies. If it’s a Friday you’ll find few veggies, and a bottle of wine.

If you sorted your wardrobe by colour, what colour would stand out? (Ahh, do you sort your wardrobe by colour?!)

I don’t sort it by colour (but I do sort it by garment type!). I think you would find a lot of neutrals with some splashes of colour now and then. (Hmm, sounds a bit boring!)

What are you wearing now? (Be honest!)

Luckily (because I will be honest) I’m wearing a blue Dangerfield dress and leggings.

(I’ll be honest. I have not idea what A Dnagerfield dress is. Should I? All I can picture is Rodney Dangerfield  in drag. Not pretty! 

It gets worse. After searching for a suitable image and finding this one, now all I can hear is Fozzie Bear going: “Wocka Wocka Wocka!” )

Whose home would you like to housesit and why?

This is a very useful question! If any readers out there have a property in the Lake District suitable for an enthusiastic couple and a house-trained three-year-old, let me know as I’m planning to do some research there next year and as yet have nowhere to stay!

Country curiosities…

We love a sunburnt country (slip, slop, slap and all that). What’s your ideal hat? Or are you a boots person?

I find hats hard – they look nice but I don’t enjoy wearing many of them. I do like bandanas – they don’t fly off so easily in windy Perth. I sometimes worry that bandanas have an ‘age-by’ date (which I may have already passed), but I don’t want to stop wearing them!

(I like scarves – not that I can wear one without looking like ‘Con the Fruiterer’. Instead I put one of my characters in scarves.)

If you were an animal, what kind of animal would you be?

Again, too much choice! Today I’d be a cat so I could curl up and have a nice long nap.

Now for the big question… Why did the chicken cross the road?

Because the grass is always greener on the other side?

About you…

Your turning point: when was that point in your life that you realized that being an author was no longer going to be just a dream but a reality and a career?

Sometimes I still feel like I’m in the dream! I’d say a big turning point was going to Sydney to meet publishers, and signing my first contract with Random House. Or perhaps even just getting an agent – that was a big score.

(I think you have a cover angel looking after your designs too.)

What is the hardest part of writing for you?

The business side of writing is sometimes tough, but at other times exciting. Deadlines can also be daunting, but I’m getting used to it!

If someone was to write your biography, what do you think the title should be?

Planet Foz – because some of my friends call me Foz, and I’m often in my own little world.

(Oh no! Now I am totally fixated on Fozzie Bear. Now all I can picture is YOU plucking away at your keyboard saying: “Wocka, Wocka, Wocka!!”)

What question have you always wanted to be asked in an interview? How would you answer that question?

Q: How does it feel to have sold a million books in the first week of publication?

A: Amazing.

(Oh! Yeah! Love it!)

Fun stuff…

What does your protagonist think about you? Would he or she want to hang out with you, the author, his/her creator.

I’m pretty sure I would get on well with all my protagonists – but we have already hung out intensely, and there comes a point where we both need a break!

If you could trade places with any other person for a week, famous or not famous, living or dead, real or fictional, with whom would it be?

I always find it hard naming just one. Perhaps the Dalai Lama would be fun – to experience that much inner peace would be lovely.

If I said to you, “Just entertain me for five minutes, I’m not going to talk,” what would you do?)

I’d read you the first two chapters of my book!

(I have to say… that single question at the beginning of chapter one is powerful stuff. And that, reader/writers, is some hook!)

What food would you be?

Chocolate – then I’d eat myself.

What was the best thing before sliced bread?

Enormous sandwiches.

(Oh, good thinking. I’ll be in that? What’s your favourite filling?? Mine is peanut butter and vegemite together. Yum! )

Name 5 uses for a stapler that has no staple pins.

1. Giving it to a three year old. Stated purpose: ‘safely practicing stapling’. Real purpose: ‘five minutes of peace.’
2. Covering with green paint and pretending it’s a crocodile to entertain said child.
3. Litter picking tiny pairs of worn pants found in random places.
4. Removing old pieces of toast that have been hidden down sofas, under car seats, etc.
5. Pretend microphone (for child, not me of course!)

 (Inspired!)

How weird are you? Rate yourself on a scale of 1 (not) to 10 (very).

Sometimes 1, sometimes 10, depends on the day (and who you ask).

(And if you have a stapler in your hand at the time!)

Sara’s books are fantastic reads (have just finished Come Back To Me). Her latest – Shallow Breath – is out NOW. For information about Sara and all her books – http://www.sarafoster.com.au/

Blurb: Shallow Breath

Two years ago, Desi Priest made a horrific mistake and destroyed her family.

Now, she is coming home to make amends: to her daughter Maya, who’s nurturing her own dangerous plan; to her brother Jackson, who blames himself; and to her close friend Pete, who has spent years shielding her from a devastating truth.

But as Desi returns to her beloved house by the ocean, there is a stranger waiting for her. Someone who needs her help. Someone whose arrival will reveal a chain of secrets hidden for over twenty years.

And one by one the family will be forced to confront the possibility that they have somehow got things terribly, tragically wrong …

Set across five continents, Shallow Breath is a compelling novel of dashed dreams and second chances. But most of all it is a story about love, and what it really means to be free.

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See who else has taken part in the harvest so far – HERE.

Author Harvest is just getting started. There’s plenty more in store with, summer, autumn and winter harvest.